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A Little History
Little Industries has accumulated a wealth of experience since its inception
in 1965 from years of ongoing change, improvement and response to the
needs of the marketplace. The company continues to provide heavy haulage,
mine site rehabilitation, quarry products, hire plant, contract crushing,
civil works and vehicle maintenance services to the mining, government
and construction industries in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western
Australia. The family origins of the business remain with Alan and Joe
Little continuing as Directors, Rosalie Fyfe Administration Manager and
Clinton Little Administration Officer. However Little Industries has evolved
into much more than a family business and the company, while now downsized
to allow its directors more flexibility to concentrate on their personal
and family interests, has a strong and vibrant history and continues to
excel in its niche area.
Origins
The fore runner of the current company,
Mining Timber Service had its beginnings in 1964 when Noel Little, in
partnership with his wife Geraldine, began supplying timbers to the gold
mining industry in the Eastern Goldfields. Sales to gold (and later nickel)
mining companies flourished, encouraging the small partnership to expand.
During the late sixties, the transport services became the larger part
of the business as contracts for haulage of water, sand and metal increased.
This led to the closure of the timber service in 1969 to allow the company
to concentrate on the growing transport industry in the region. The company
name was changed to N.B. Little and Sons Pty Ltd to reflect the wider
involvement of Noel's sons Alan and Joe.
Early Contracts
Major contracts during the sixties were for cartage of water to seal the Eyre Highway
and the cartage of sand and metal for the microwave tower supports, which
span the whole of Western Australia. These contracts saw both Alan and
Joe working throughout WA until the early seventies when the company expanded
from its Kalgoorlie base by establishing its first depot in Kambalda.
Joe moved to Kambalda to manage the operations. While this move was intended
to better service domestic cartage customers, it led directly to substantial
contracts in the Kambalda area and eventually closure of the Boulder depot.
Major contracts in the 1970's included a three million tonne sand back
fill project and the commencement of ore cartage for Western Mining Corporation
at Kambalda. This was followed by two new dimensions which were added
to the company's operations in the early 1980's. Overseas demand for Lefroy
salt resulted in N.B. Little and Sons winning major contracts for harvesting
and cartage of salt and ship loading at Esperance. In addition to these
activities, the company undertook civil works including dams, both tailing
and catchment.
The Next Generation
After the retirement of Noel Little
in 1982, Alan and Joe Little, who both worked for their father since 1965
and 1967 respectively, took over the day to day running and management
of the company. It was at this time that the depot in Boulder was closed
and all operations of the company were centred in Kambalda. This move
signalled a period of immense growth and change for the company and it's
directors, with the employee base rapidly expanding from 20 to 150 employees.
In addition, at its peak in 1989, the company owned and managed 30 front-end
loaders and 20 road-trains in the region.
The 80's and 90's
In mid 1983, the company adopted the trading name Little Transport & Processing Industries. Since then, the crushing and processing section of the business was developed to become one of the largest suppliers of quarry products to mining companies and government agencies in the Goldfields region. Some of the major contracts over this time included: " Railballast to Westrail and the Australian National Railways (ANR). " Concrete and sealing aggregates were supplied for the construction of most of the major mines in the region, including Western Mining's Kambalda, St Ives, Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, Leinster and Mt Keith operations, as well as New Celebration, Paddington, Gidgie Roaster, KCGM Kalgoorlie, Bulong Nickel, Murrin Murrin and many other smaller projects " Sealing aggregates were used on all the major highways and towns in the region, including the Eyre Highway, Goldfields Highway and Great Eastern Highway, and the towns of Kalgoorlie, Kambalda, Coolgardie, Esperance, Leinster, Leonora, Laverton, Wiluna and Southern Cross " Bulk haulage of mineral ores was the major portion of business during this period. Some of the major contracts included WMC Kambalda, St Ives, Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter and Leinster. Others included Ora Banda, New Celebration and Jubilee mines " A new tailings dam was constructed for WMC at Kambalda, including all drainage and collection dams and access roads " Contract crushing was performed at WMC Kambalda, St Ives, Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, Leinster ,Ora Banda, Cue, and Laverton " Major crushing and heap leach projects were undertaken at ACM Westonia " Mine rehabilitation at WMC Resources Foster & Carnilya Minesites.
Anzac Drive
One of the most exciting and rewarding projects the company was involved in, along with a range of other businesses in the local community, was the building of Anzac Drive near Kalgoorlie. Several prominent local company's (including Little Transport and Processing Industries) in Kalgoorlie were getting frustrated with the lack of government action to construct a much needed bypass around Kalgoorlie. Heavy haulage was constantly increasing through the centre of Kalgoorlie and there was the need to safely transport heavy haulage and dangerous goods out of residential areas. The group got together and decided that any further delays would be too detrimental to the community and businesses in the region to wait. On the weekend 18-20th of September 1992, trucks, loaders, graders and scrappers were put to work, along with a small army of volunteers. This dedicated group worked throughout the weekend to construct seven kilometres of road from great Eastern Hwy, West Kalgoorlie to the Kambalda road. This unapproved action by the group of community leaders created quite of storm in the press, but with the road successfully in place and effectively creating a bypass around the town, the controversy eventually died down. However it sent a strong message to the local and state government - local businesses deserve a voice in the community. It also reflects the "get the job done" culture of Goldfields people and signifies the approach Little Industries has developed over the years to get over hurdles.
The future
With the beginning of the new century, a new era has begun. A new workshop and office has been built in Welshpool. This new facility will house the head office and administration, along with a small workshop to handle major rebuilds on the company's fleet of equipment. In time, Little Industries intends to offer services from both the Kambalda and Welshpool depots. It is envisioned that the Kambalda branch will offer the full range of services, while the Welshpool branch will concentrate on consulting, hire of equipment and fleet vehicle maintenance and storage.
